Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann Mentions 'Road Ahead' for the Last of Us, Teasing the Last of Us Part 3

Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, creator of The Last of Us, has hinted the series could get a third game at some point in the future. Druckmann, who has been open to a third chapter of the action-adventure franchise, has said that there is a “road ahead” for The Last of Us. Naughty Dog and Druckmann are currently working on the studio's new IP, Intergalactic, so a potential The Last of Us Part 3 may well be years away.

In a recent social media post, Druckmann dug up his old concept sketches for The Last of Us, showing characters that ultimately turned into protagonists Joel and Ellie. In the post, Druckmann said he was greatful for the journey of the video game franchise, which has also spawned a hit HBO TV series. He also dropped a hint, suggesting there could be more to come in the beloved PlayStation franchise.

“Cleaning out the garage today and stumbled on my original sketches from 2003 for a game pitch about a man, his surrogate daughter, and a trek across a broken America,” Druckmann said in an Instagram post earlier this week.

“Been a wild journey. Grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead.”

That last bit suggests Druckmann intends to develop The Last of Us Part 3 at some point.

Neil Druckmann on The Last of Us Part 3

In the past, the Naughty Dog boss has said that he has a concept for Part 3. “I've been just thinking about it, 'is there a concept there?' And for now years, I haven't been able to find that concept. But recently, that's changed, and I don't have a story, but I do have that concept that to me is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story,” Druckmann had said about a potential The Last of Us Part 3 in 2024.

But last year, he suggested that Naughty Dog may not work on The Last of Us Part 3. In an interview with Variety, when asked about a possible third game in the series, Druckmann said: “I guess the only thing I would say is don't bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.' This could be it.”

Druckmann, however, is now working on games full-time, so he could be developing an idea for a sequel to The Last of Us Part 2, alongside working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Last year, Druckmann confirmed he was stepping away from HBO's The Last of Us and said he would not be returning to work on the third season of the show.

The Naughty Dog boss said he was shifting his complete focus to the studio and its future projects, including writing and directing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with his responsibilities as studio head and head of creative. Druckman helmed the first two seasons of The Last of Us TV series alongside Craig Mazin.